


Crimson Dawn

by chipball



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Fantasy, Futuristic, Magic, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 14:20:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14082810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chipball/pseuds/chipball
Summary: He was only twelve. Just a boy. Atticus Delano stood staring at the crater in front of him underneath the tall trees. Carefully, he put his hand over the small translucent crystal he wore around his neck. He smiled a small bit as if to pride himself. This crater was his creation. Atticus knew what he had made was small, but he was proud of himself for finally gathering the energy to conjure it.Atticus wanted to be a hero. In a world where magic has been outlawed for centuries, and everyone lives their lives happy with the same basic routine every day, Atticus Delano wants to change that. Conformity? Not his thing. See what happens when he decides to act on that





	1. Prologue

He was only twelve. Just a boy. Atticus Delano stood staring at the crater in front of him underneath the tall trees. Carefully, he put his hand over the small translucent crystal he wore around his neck. He smiled a small bit as if to pride himself. This crater was his creation. Atticus knew what he had made was small, but he was proud of himself for finally gathering the energy to conjure it.  
He could still feel it- the adrenaline rush. He felt himself buzzing all the way through his bones, and he loved it. He loved every inch of it. As he looked down at his hands, he noticed a few burns on his palms. That would definitely hurt later, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that he did it. He pushed his limits and actually created something. He was proud. Proud of himself like no one had ever been proud of him before.  
Magic had been outlawed for so long. Atticus was well aware of this fact, but that didn't stop him. Nothing could stop him. Practicing magic made him feel free. It was his escape, and no one could change that. The crater he'd made was small-nothing more than the size of a pond- but it had been the biggest thing he'd ever created. He was unpracticed for sure, but he planned to change that. He'd train himself, no matter what the cost. Atticus wanted to be a hero.


	2. One

*Seven Years Later*

"C'mon...c'mon..." Atticus stood with his feet apart and his arms out in front of him. He very carefully twisted his wrists, rotating them in a slow circle. "Almost there...Just...a bit...more..." The boy's voice strained under the pressure of the energy flowing through him. His hands glowed a dull white light. He was in pain, but he couldn't stop himself. No, he wouldn't stop himself. He refused. He'd been trying to get this particular spell to work for years, and he was so close. He could feel it.   
There it was again. His favorite part. The adrenaline rush. Endorphins. He felt his fingers go numb and his body start to buzz. He closed his eyes and held tight to his posture, digging his feet into the ground. He felt his breath hitch- a sure sign that he was wearing himself out, but he didn't care. He had to get it this time. It had to work. He smiled to himself as he felt the crystal around his neck begin to buzz too. He had always wondered if the little thing was truly buzzing with him, or if it was only his imagination.   
Another surge. Another shock. More painful this time. Atticus held in his cries and used the last of his energy to finally pry his eyes open. There it was. For half a second he saw it. The Cretaure. He laughed weakly to himself and fell to the ground. He'd done it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Atticus? Atticus!"   
Atticus' eyes slowly opened and he groaned. The bright morning sun caused him to hiss and squint. How long had he been out? He had no idea. Hours? Days? Weeks? The boy slowly sat up. His entire body was aching. He looked down at his chest and let out a sigh. His crystal was still there. He worried that the backlash may have shattered her. He laughed a bit when he noticed that she was glowing dimly- a sign that he'd gone over his limit and overused her.   
"Atticus Delano!" a voice screamed. Atticus groaned again. He knew that voice. Tamsin Skyes, his best friend who he'd been living with since the incident. "I knew I'd find you out here...all battered and bruised and- what on Earth happened to your hands! How dare you come all the way out here without even telling a soul where you are and..." Atticus laughed softly at the girl's rambling. She'd always been the safe one. One thing's for sure, he could always count on her to be the first to search for him on the days he miraculously went missing and "coincidentally" ended up in the same spot every time. After all, where else would he go? This was the place where he discovered his power.   
"Hey Tam..." Atticus smiled a bit and looked up at her. "You really didn't have to come. I'm fine. I promise." The boy winced slightly as he tried to stand.   
Tamsin sighed. "Fine? You call this fine?! You go missing for a day and a half, worry the entire village, and I come to find you passed out in the grass two feet away from drowning in your own lake?! How is this fine?!"   
Atticus looked around him. Tamsin was right. He was fairly close to his little pond. Not like it mattered to him. It was four feet deep at the center. He knew because he measured. Multiple times. He did create it, after all. He laughed some more. "Alright, alright, calm down, Tam. Look. I'm not even hurt. Just a little sore."   
Tamsin crossed her arms. "I can see your crystal glowing, you know. I know you've been out here rough-housing with your," the girl suddenly broke into a soft whisper, "Your...magic?" She searched the area.   
This simply made Atticus laugh even more. "Tam, it's okay. Nobody comes out this far but you and I. You can say magic."  
"You could get arrested! They'll send you to Harbeth!" Tamsin began pacing.   
Atticus smiled faintly. "Harbeth doesn't scare me."  
"Doesn't scare you?! Doesn't SCARE you?!" Tamsin shook her head with nervous laughter. "It's only the harshest prison around! How does that not scare you!"   
Atticus shook his head. "You're so safe, Tam. All the time. It's quite funny actually."   
"Better to be safe at home on the farm than reckless in a cell in Harbeth." She shook her head. "I just don't understand you, Ti."   
"I hate when you call me that. Atticus sounds cooler."  
"Well Ti is nicer. And less... suspicious." Tamsin crossed her arms.  
"Suspicious? What, the authorities gonna come after me for my name now?" Atticus smiled. He could feel her shell breaking.  
Tamsin sighed and let out a small laugh. "Okay, whatever. But I've always called you Ti... it suits you."  
Atticus rolled his eyes playfully. "Fine. But only you." He laid back in the soft grass and stared up at the clouds. Tamsin slowly sat own next to him. "Hey Tam?"   
"Yeah?"  
"What do you aspire to be?"  
"Farmer." She said bluntly.  
"Are you so sure about that? Or are you just saying that to make your family happy?"   
Tamsin sat for awhile, lost in thought. She never once broke eye contact with the pond in front of her. "...I don't know really. I've always sort of wanted to be some sort of hero I guess. A political leader maybe, but only in my wildest dreams. My family is poor. You know that. Our only source of income is from Thomas."  
"Your brother?"  
Tamsin nodded slowly. "Yeah. With the rest of us being electrolyte farmers, there's not really much money that comes from that. But Thomas...he followed his dream I guess. He became Chief Officer for the Council. Lots of authority. Pretty much runs this whole place. The only way we're able to stay alive is because of the income portion he sends us."   
"Well if you want to be a leader...why don't you?"  
Tamsin stayed silent for a long time. The wind blew her hair behind her face softly. Finally she spoke up, "I'm scared."  
"Scared? But it's your dream! You should trust yourself, Tam. You've got it in you, I know it!"  
"That's what everyone said about Thomas too," she sighed. "Now look where he is... he's corrupt. His dream...it changed him. Whatever it was he was put through, it messed with his mind. It destroyed him. He's not the gentle twin he used to be. Now he's just...cold. He barely sends any messages, only the money. That's all he cares about anymore. Money and power."   
"You're scared you'll end up like him?" Atticus looked at her. His face softened as he slowly sat up to face the girl. Tamsin simply nodded, still staring at the small pool of water, not saying a word. "Tam...listen. You're not like that. You're strong. You're such a strong leader, I know it. I can see it in you every time you farm, and every time you search for me." Atticus smiled. "Hell, I can even see it when you insist on calling me Ti. You'd make a great leader, Tam. Don't let anyone, not even yourself, tell you otherwise."   
Tamsin's face broke a tiny smile. "Thanks, Ti. It's good to have someone believe in you. Especially when you barely believe in yourself. Now can we please go home?" Tamsin finally looked at the boy in front of her.   
Atticus smiled. "Fine. But you know I won't stay for long." He stood and offered a hand to Tamsin. Tamsin just shook her head and smiled.   
"You never do." She laughed a bit and stood, refusing the hand in front of her. "And by the way, I did all of your chores. So you owe me ice cream." She laughed softly. Atticus simply groaned in response.


	3. two

Atticus groaned and rolled to his side. What time was it? He lethargically raised his arm and moved the curtains to the side. His face broke into a slight smile as the pale silver moonlight flooded the room, illuminating his crystal, and melting his grumpy attitude. It must have been close to two in the morning by now. He could feel it. The stars were calling to him. With a quick glance around, he glided into his slippers and quietly opened the window. He waited a few seconds before hopping limberly onto the cluster of vines growing conveniently along the side of his window and making his way up the small building. As he ascended, he felt the adrenaline rush. Not nearly as exciting as performing illegal magic, but still just as fun. The rush of knowing someone, at any moment, could open that front gate and see him slinking around, made him feel so alive.   
Once he was on the roof, Atticus let out a deep sigh and laid back. He linked his fingers together and set his hands behind his head, staring at the sky intently. The warm summer air sinking into his every pore. He closed his eyes softly and took a deep breath. This is exactly what he'd needed. Something about the stars had always called to Atticus. He didn't know if it was the glimmer, or the distance. Maybe it was both.   
His parents had loved the stars too, he remembered. There were special nights when they would allow Atticus to stay up past his bedtime just to see the stars come out. Those were always fun, but his favorite nights were the times when he would pretend to be sleeping, and just after midnight, he would sneak open his window just to peer at the distant sparkles. He'd sit there for hours, creating his own constellations and telling stories to the circle of stuffed animals he'd placed around him. All the while pretending to be sneaky and quiet so his parents wouldn't hear him.   
Those were the days, Atticus thought. The days when nothing seemed to matter but his family and the stars. Now though, everything else seemed to matter. The stars were forgotten to most of the world-who were perfectly content to live the same routine every day without a drop of appreciation for any real beauty- and Atticus' parents had disappeared twelve years ago when he was only seven. They'd been in a mining accident, everyone told him. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere mining for who knows what. Atticus didn't like to think about that, though.  
He took a deep breath and stared up at the twinkling dots above him, creating little shapes and the stories to go along with him. Atticus was a constellation hunter, a constellation creator. He never cared for the stories that everyone else told. They were far to bland and boring for his taste. Atticus much preferred to lay on the roof and write his own stories. Sometimes he'd wondered why he enjoyed creating stories rather than listening to others. Regardless of reason, Atticus smiled as he spun the tales in his mind. Where everyone else would see a lion, Atticus saw a stubborn Clydesdale refusing his master. As he stared up at the stars, he could almost start to see the shapes start to dance on their own. The Clydesdale galloped, and the master chased frantically after it. Atticus smiled to himself. As the stars began to slowly fade, so too did Atticus into a soft sleep. He didn't care that he was still on the roof, he was tired. He didn't care that if he was found there in the morning he would surely be punished with the entire village's workload for the week. He didn't care. He watched the moon set and fell asleep among the Clydesdale and the other shapes that danced him to sleep.


End file.
